Fashion is a luxury, not a necessity
Frankly, I was quite offended by the message Ms. Millman conveyed in her article.
She showed an obvious standing against fellow students who do not fit the guidelines of being, or dressing, popular. She even went to the extent of mocking a student because he shops at two stores that don’t share the same fashion sense saying, “The two together create an image of … a gothic surfer? A goth with a tan? A surfer with skulls on his suit?”
She delivers the message that shopping at Wal-Mart puts you at “the bottom of the heap.” Why does it? Am I at the “bottom of the heap” because my mommy and daddy don’t just hand me $100 a week so I can spend it on one pair of pants and a shirt that says “Quiksilver” on it? What happened to being allowed to be yourself? Why should we all fit into a cookie-cutter mold shaped like a Roxy sign?
Ms. Millman stated that, “There is nothing wrong with dressing like an individual,” but she criticized those people who do not fit the socially popular mold found in the pages and covers of Cosmopolitan and GQ. In the headline to her article she wrote, “Rolling backpacks, last season’s styles, don’t belong on campus.”
Does that mean that if I don’t have $100 a week to shell out on the latest fashions after I spend $500 or more a month on rent and living expenses, about $80 or more a month getting to school and back and more money than I wish to count at the moment on school tuition, overpriced textbooks and other school supplies, then I don’t belong on campus? To quote Aldous Huxley, “Oh brave new world that has such people in it!”
What will be proposed next to keep us all looking and dressing the same? Bokanovskification? A social class ordered from alpha to epsilon?
I don’t want to be taken wrong. I am not attacking those who do strive to look and be “preppy.” They have the right to do so. I will agree that Ms. Millman has the right to her opinion and has the right to express that opinion freely. I will also agree that you, as the editor of the newspaper, have the right to print that opinion. I will also tell you my opinion of the article. I think it is narrow-minded and alienates fellow Bakersfield College students and I think it’s crap.
Robert Johnson
BC Student
Turney ‘gets’ what teaching is all about
On my wall hangs a slip of paper from a calendar that has pulled me through many obstacles this past year. It reads, “In almost every situation there are people who get it and people who don’t. Those who get it are enjoying the fruits of their knowledge, those who don’t are looking puzzled, frustrated and doing without.”
Don Turney is one of those people who gets it! He is an excellent instructor, an encouraging counselor and a loyal friend. He is a role model, a leader and a dedicated person.
I know this because I once was in his Psych 1A class. He taught about the mind and behavior of people, while opening our minds to believe in ourselves, encouraging us to always ask questions and to keep reaching for our goals. He can capture your attention with his stories that were filled with interesting, humorous and sometimes sad information. He was always energetic, comical and positive. I have yet to find an instructor/counselor like him.
After reading the letters to the editor about Don Turney, I knew I also needed to speak out. There are only a few people who are true instructors/counselors that can and do take the time to reach out to help anyone.
It would be a real shame to let him go when he has been an inspiration to so many students.
Laurie Lopez
BC Student